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WELCOME to the Small Book Blog! I am a voracious reader. I love losing myself in books and cannot wait to read myself into my next adventure. It is because of this love for books that I created this blog. I want to share my passion of books with you! I hope you enjoy my recommendations and reviews. My goal is that they will lead you to a new book, series or author, that you can fall in love with and recommend to others as well.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Happy Reading Day! I
hope everyone had a blessed memorial weekend. I know I stayed busy and enjoyed
every moment of my three days from work. Over the weekend I was able to dive in
and gobble up the rest of the Fifty Shades trilogy and start Nora Roberts’s new
hardback, The Witness. Next on my
reading list is a new author called Juliet Dark and her debut novel The Demon Lover.

If you enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey, I would definitely
recommend reading Fifty Shades Darker. I
struggled a bit with the third book, Fifty
Shades Freed, but most of the struggle was me getting upset with the
characters. I’m talking to the point I almost had to force myself to stop
reading because I was clenching my muscles in my irritation. In the end, I
figured out why the author was being so dramatic and it was worth it BUT the third book was a struggle for me
to get through. Another aspect I’ve enjoyed after reading the Fifty Shades
trilogy is the crazy conversations I have found myself having with my various
girlfriends who are also (or have read) reading these novels. It’s been an
adventure and definitely not conversations we would have had on any other day
of the week. LMAO!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey to find out if all the
hub-bub swirling around about it was accurate. For me and this recommendation
it was delightedly worth it. The 50 Shades trilogy (I am currently immersed in
book two of the series) has already been added to my books I hold dear to my
heart. Not for the erotic scenes it was fanned about all over the media but
because it has that incandescent spark that a reader finds only so often in a
truly beloved book (or series). Some of those for me, to name a few, would be Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, A
Discovery of Witches, Outlander, The Hunger Games Trilogy, and The Harry Potter
Series.

The characters have realness
to them, mainly Ana and Christian, which puts the reader at ease. E L James has
created great chemistry between these unlikely lovers. For me, I loved reading
about what they saw in each other, Ana falling into Christian’s office, Ana and
Christian stumbling over each other to find an anchor within each other. While
Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey may not the new Mr Darcy and Elizabeth
Bennet or even Claire and Jamie, they are, for me at least and I hope for
others, right up there. I have fallen into their world and am rooting for them,
commiserating with them, laughing, sighing, and melting as their story and
journey unfolds. They have that quality about them that has me rooting for them
despite the odds, hang-ups, fun e-mailing, and S&M tendencies.

This book is
classified as an erotic novel. I have read others and it was just soft core or
hard core sex set in scenes, much like a porn flick. The 50 Shades trilogy (so
far at least and definitely in this first book) is realistic and the situation
Ana finds herself in with Christian’s offer, while unique, is believable. The
sex is not “the story” but an important component of it. The sex is delicious
and leaves one panting. James has an incredible sexual voice, giving the reader
sensations, feelings, textures. James is able to give the reader “vanilla sex”
and then sex with a “kinky f***ery” twist. For me I appreciated the full out
rawness of it. An author either needs to get into the sex scenes or give you a
beginning and then an “afterglow”, a rated PG-13 or rated R movie if you will
allow that as a comparison.

Fifty Shades of Grey, for the mature audiences out there, is a must
read. For many, including myself, this trilogy is a new adventure and I am definitely
learning about things I never would have dreamed of (in a good way).That said, pour yourself a glass of wine and
curl up with this great book.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a
hard book to recommend. Not because it is a bad story or poorly written, but
because I would really need to know a person to recommend it. I was convinced
to read it after the Time’s commented
that Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell “combines
the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen
into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien.” After finishing the
novel, I would say that most of that is true.

Jonathan
Strange and Mr Norrell definitely reminded me of a novel written in the 18th/19th
century. I pictured Jane Austen and Wilkie Collins conspiring over many
occasions to come up with The History of Magic as told through the perceptions
of Mr Norrell and Mr Strange. The book has fantasy, mythology of fairies, magic
in England (both theoretical and practical), as well as war and politics. All
of these dripping with that delicious sarcastic and ironic undercurrent we find
in and love in Austen and Collins various publications. However, this is not a
book to just slip into. There are times I enjoyed reading it and times it was
tiring. It took till the end of the book to figure out what direction the
author might be going with her characters. All I could figure out was that the
main goal was to bring practical magic back into England by why of Mr Norrell
or by Mr Strange, beyond that I could hardly form any expectations or theories.

Susanna Clarke has
created a detailed world that includes history, other languages and other worlds,
much like with Tolkien. Clarke also included footnotes; some absurdly long, to
further the enjoyment and knowledge of the reader. The footnotes either
explained a theory; tell a story related to the subject matter in the book at
that current moment; or finish a history of a reference with in the storyline
the author will not have time to include later or that the author wanted us to
know something about. Some I read and
some I did not. It was a creative writing tool since much of this book is also
presented through an academic voice.

Ultimately I think
this novel let me down (although I started it with very high expectations). It
was long, it meanders, it was academic theoretical magic rather than practical,
it was gossipy; there were few “happy endings” and it left me uninspired.
However, Clarke has created a novel with a great voice to take you on your
journey to bring magic back into England and for that I was glad to have read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

This is the third
book in the Bella Terra Deception series. For me, Betrayal fell short, after reading the first two books and really enjoying them. I do not
quite know why I did not enjoy Betrayal
as much but I just did not. It was missing something. There was also a lot of
story line crammed in and with this type of book that usually means it loses
focus or does not spend enough time developing characters, emotions, and/or storylines.
I do not need the nitty gritty with this
type of book, I know it is not going to be the next Outlander, but I want details, feelings, looks, descriptions and
not just highlights. This was especially important for this book because of
Noah and Penelope supposedly being soul mates. We need the chemistry and action
of their past and throwing it into the fire to forge an amazing present. Dodd
just did not quite deliver with Noah and Penelope’s story.

While this book left
me a little unsatisfied, I would still recommend it as part of the series and
for Christina Dodd fans. It is a classic contemporary romance with some suspense
thrown in to hasten up emotions, love and of course “Ever After”.

I decided to read The Witches of Eastwick because of how
often the entertainment industry tries to recreate the story on the screen and
almost always fails. With that in mind I thought to myself, “This is going to
be a crazy, fantastical novel with witches, maybe a warlock or devil, what an
adventure. Eastwick has a magic pull that releases a woman’s femininity and
craft.” However, after reading it I can tell you that I was disappointed and
almost appalled at the book.

John Updike has a
great voice and way of writing. Updike creates a picturesque landscape with
vivid descriptions and a grittiness that you can almost feel in your teeth,
with characters that are riddled with flaws and almost unbearably selfish.
Updike gives us expert, sparkling double meaning descriptions and dialog that
furthers the women’s movement. That said I could not identify, feel sorry for,
or even cheer on the three main witches of Eastwick this novel focuses its
story on (Suki, Jane and Alexandra). Beyond that I did not even like Suki, Jane
, Alexandra and Darrell Van Horne. The story is about them so that tells you
something. I was also sad that there was not much of a focus or storyline
regarding the witchyness of the witches. It was like Updike wanted them to be
witches so he could add in this one horrible plot twist (not giving you the
spoiler) and could not figure out how to do it without using the craft.

I would recommend
this book to readers who want to read a more classic novel or books that have
an almost feminine mystique meets 19th century writing meets beatnik
dialog. As a side note, I just watched
the movie The Witches of Eastwick
with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeifer. I enjoyed it
much more than the novel. The witches were not as selfish, Darrel Van Horne was
the devil I wanted him to be, and it had the comedy and fantastical characters
I wanted to read that I think Updike just missed the mark on.

Friday, May 11, 2012

It’s Friday, time to
reveal your reading desires and needs. I
am excited to say my goal (and I will achieve it) is to finish Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I am
getting anxious to finish it (I have no idea what the ending is going to be or
what the main goal of the author seems to be even know, over 600 pages into the
novel). I also finished reading The Witches
of Eastwick this week and I was so disappointed and appalled in it. I had
no idea such a popular book to movie/television, would end up like it did. The
women in it were unbearably selfish and self-righteous.

So now I am working
through my “to-read” book shelf to decide what to read next. I love choosing
what to read next, there are so many possibilities and until you read it, you
can very rarely be disappointed. Generally when I am figuring out my next read
I choose it based on a favorite authors new book, maybe it is the next book in
a series, maybe I am drawn in by the book’s cover art, maybe I am in the mood
for “that” book or switch to a different genre, or if all else fails and I
still cannot decide I will get three or four books I cannot decide between and
have my hubby pick out my next read.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

This is book three
in Foster’s tales of Men Who Walk on the Edge of Honor series. For reader’s
familiar with the first two books, they know the characters Alani and Jackson
and are ready to cheer them on. For those readers who do not, do not despair
because the backstory of these two main characters is given to you. Savor the Danger starts with Jackson Savor
waking up next to a very naked, sleeping Alani (a woman he has pinned quite a
while for) and Jackson has no memory of what happened to get to this waking up
point. Alani misunderstands Jackson’s reaction to the situation feeling
rejected after a night of sexual ecstasy, but Jackson knows he was drugged and
is unable to explain why. This is not good for a man in the mercenary business.
From there the story weaves into a complex tale of human traffickers, stalkers,
family love, cat rescues and steamy romance.

Foster does a great
job building the sensations and relationships of the characters, both
emotionally and sexually. Savor the Danger
is arousing, captivating and thrilling. There were a couple of things that
I needed to suspend disbelief for, but for the most part I did not mind. An
example would be my issue with Alani’s character and her constant issue of
being told what to do in the middle of dangerous situations. Me, I would listen
and do as I was told by Jackson or the other mean in his business, then ask
questions later. Alani gets angry, tells Jackson he is crossing the line and
will not do it. She demands he ask nicely. Personally, when getting a directive
to save my life and the lives of others, I am going to listen. Hello! This is
their profession and training kicking in. It bothered me that Alani threw her
little hissy fits. Not enough to dislike her as a character or the book though.
That said I also had fun imagining myself
in some of the scenes Foster paints for us. Much of the story and action takes
place in real residential areas. It made me wonder how aware I would be in a
situation like Alani finds herself in. For instance, if someone were to cut the
electricity at the meter outside my house, in the dead of night, would I wake
up because of the complete silence? I would hope so but who knows! I might need
to reassess my home protection.

Savor the Danger is a thrilling adventure from start to
finish. I definitely recommend it for contemporary readers, romance readers,
and absolutely for romantic suspense readers. It has it all: the hot sticky wet
sex, dangerous criminals, and the joy and peril of falling in love.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Happy Friday! It’s time to reveal
it! What’s everyone reading and looking forward to? I am (still) currently
reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
It is a 900+ page book so it is taking time to read and I am trying to
still my impatience because I usually finish reading a book within a week. So
far it is a fun read. It feels like Jane Austen and Wilkie Collins collaborated
to write a book about real life neurotic magicians. May has brought cold
temperatures and rain so I am thinking this will be a cuddle up and read
weekend.

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About Me

I am a voracious reader. I love losing myself in books and cannot wait to read myself into my next adventure. It is because of this love for books that I created this blog. I want to share my passion of books with you! I hope you enjoy my recommendations and reviews. My goal is that they will lead you to a new book, series or author, that you can fall in love with and recommend to others as well.